Paradise Lost
by baited with hypotheses
Summary: AU. This wasn't their war. TamaHaru, KyouOC.
1. Once Upon A Midnight Dreary

**Disclaimer:** _Ouran is not epicaricacy's._

**Warning:** _Chapters will be VERY short._

* * *

**Paradise Lost**

_a pseudo- fairy tale by epicarciacy_

**Prologue** – _Once Upon A Midnight Dreary_

Four Years Ago

'_To Whom It May Concern –'_

His hand was shaking from the tension. They would be here any minute now. They would be here and take everything that he had.

Including his _last _son.

Two of them had already been taken, and he couldn't let them take Kyouya. No, he couldn't. Kyouya needed to be safe. Taking in a deep breath, Yoshio started writing again.

'_I do not have much time. They are coming. They aren't a myth, or some sort of joke. I'm not lying!' _Screw the formality, he needed to ask help.

_'Please come right away and do the necessary…annihilation.'_ He heard footsteps; they were faint, yes, but they were still there. He didn't have much time, indeed.

_'I hope the secret is still safe with the three remaining fam—'_

A voice made Yoshio drop his pen.

"Hello, Mr. Ootori." The voice was hoarse, as if it was never used in a long time. "How wonderful it is to see you again…"

Yoshio was frozen in his seat.

"Why? You weren't expecting me?" The voice chuckled, a low rumble that shook the room, sending pieces of paper and other knickknacks flying all over the place.

"D-Don't take K-Kyouya…" Yoshio managed to say.

"We aren't interested in your spawn, Ootori." The visitor said, obviously bored with all the delay. "We just want the secret."

"What secret?" Yoshio feigned innocence. He turned and faced the visitor.

The visitor sighed, his clear hair covering his eyes as he walked towards to shaking man. "You know very well what I'm talking about."

This was it. Yoshio was doomed. The pact would be broken, the covenant crushed. He could not let that happen! He had to protect the secret, even if it would cost his life. Kyouya never really needed him, anyway.

He laughed dryly,"I'm not going to tell you what it is."


	2. The Beginning Once More

**Chapter One** – _The Beginning Once More_

The Present

_I received a letter today. From a man that is supposed to be dead._

"KK!" I heard my mom shout my (very immature) nickname. Her voice was a low, raspy sound still hoarse due to her bad cough. I grabbed my bag – a tattered red pack unearthed from my messy closet in my equally messy room – and rushed downstairs. It was already quarter to eight, fifteen minutes before I'm dismissed as 'tardy.'

"Tch. _Slow_."Dad remarked, his voice a frightening baritone. "You wouldn't survive the war. You'd be pretty easy prey for _them_, Kyoko."

At his last sentence, my mother flinched. Her frail body began shivering underneath all those layers she wears. "Ren," she whispered, "Please don't talk about the war." Mom doesn't like to talk about the war that happened four years ago. Her parents had been brutally murdered, for no apparent reason, and her older sister, ol' Aunt Ai, was tortured in an unknown location – I wondered why she kept silent. Well, whatever the case may be, all of us here in the Kiyumizu household know that the war's a touchy topic for mom, yet Dad just talked about it as if he was talking about the _weather_.

Dad just shrugged and continued to glare at me. With his dark eyes, he silently told me to get into the car.

* * *

Outside, the weather was crisp and cool. The wind blew gently, almost like a caress. I smiled slightly as I opened the car door. My sister, the ever responsible Sayuri, sighed – probably with relief – as I entered the car.

"Finally," she muttered, looking outside the window as the trees began to shed their leaves. "I thought you'd never come."

"Kyoko," she continued, her voice angry and strained, "You made me miss my Student Council meeting."

"Why didn't you go to school earlier, huh!?" I felt my voice rise, as angry tears began to form in my sapphire-colored irises. "You could have left me at home and –"

"Shut up, you idiot." Nee-san mumbled, pulling me for a hug. In my head, I was giggling. My sister was a sucker for crying people. If you came up to her, crying because you lost your handkerchief, she'd gladly give you a new one.

When Dad finally entered the car, he was glaring at us with such intensity, I thought I would burn. He was holding a crumpled piece of paper, with really bad hand writing -- the letter I found on top of my desk earlier this morning. The letter from a _dead_ man.

"Kyoko!" He shouted; his voice filled with –could it be possible?—fear. "Who sent you this?"


	3. When Beginnings End

**Chapter Two** – _When Beginnings End_

Four Years Ago

"Ren Kiyumizu, Yoshio Ootori, Yuzuru Suou, Ranka Fujioka – do you accept your roles as the elders of the covenant?" The voice was inhuman and powerful, as if the gods themselves were talking.

"We do." And so, the pact was sealed, their fate decided and the world saved.

The four elders were successfully elected. They were chosen from the original four families who were granted the _gift_. As the war came to its climax, the elders needed to act quickly. They needed to preserve the truth of reality, somehow. But how could they? The pitiful humans wouldn't believe them and they'd only laugh at these elders.

Who should they go to?

The last time their ancestors revealed their secret, they caused this very war the new elders were fighting now.

Who should they tell?

Their children? Heavens, no! They wanted their children to live their lives normally, for this war wasn't theirs. The rule of thumb, after all, was 'pure children can never be tainted.'

But their children were already tainted before they were even born.


	4. Father and Son

**Author's Notes**: _Thanks for all those who reviewed. You made my night turn into day. Also, thanks to blufair for pointing out a correction. I already changed 'nii-san' to 'nee-san.'_

* * *

**Chapter Three** – _Father and Son_

The Present

"Uh…" I couldn't speak; the words were stuck in my throat, choking me. What should I say? I can't just tell him, 'Oh! I got it from Mr. Ootori, you know, the guy who was murdered four years ago?'

"Kyoko!" He growled; his dark eyes boring into my lighter ones. "I asked you a question! Who sent you this?"

"Isn't it obvious? It was obviously Mr. Ootori." Nee-san said, matter-of-factly. "It's probably the letter everyone in the covenant received."

"The _what_?" I asked. What the hell was a covenant? Was it some sort of cult thing my parents and sister joined? "What's the covenant?"

"Sayuri!" Dad scolded her, as if she kicked our pet cat again.

"Er…Forget about that." My sister chuckled nervously. Glancing at her watch, her oddly-colored eyes – they were somehow translucent – grew bigger. "OHMYGOD! It's already eight fifteen!"

Dad looked at her, slightly amused and started the car. Everything about the letter, the covenant and the war was forgotten.

* * *

School was really boring. Usually, I found school interesting. But not today. My head was spinning from unanswered questions. I didn't even mind the fact that our school uniform was practically a _gown_, or the fact that the stupid girls – oh, excuse me: my classmates – were mumbling amongst themselves about unimportant things like jeans and lip gloss.

I was reading my English textbook like a good girl until a knock disturbed the flow of the class. Who dared to knock during English? Our teacher wasn't exactly the kindest person around…Then again; I didn't really care about _who_ knocked or even their _intention_ for knocking. But I was suddenly forced into caring when a very familiar name escaped the knocker's lips.

"Sir," he – the voice was definitely male – began, "May I please excuse Ms. Kyoko Kiyumizu? It is quite important that I must talk to her."

I whipped my head up to see the knocker, and immediately, I felt all the hatred in the world reflected in my female – and some male – classmates' eyes. The knocker turned out to be Kyouya Ootori himself, the great Shadow King of the host club and the son of the _dead_ (I can't help emphasizing his current…status) man who sent me a letter.

The teacher nodded at me curtly, and I began exiting the classroom.

* * *

"Did you receive it?" He asked me, cold grey eyes looking into my very sou—

I must not get carried away…What did he want with me, anyway? I never even met him in my life!

"What?" I replied dumbly. What _did_ I receive?

"Don't play tricks with me, Kiyumizu." He snarled. Was it just me or did he seem _desperate_? He shoved a piece of paper into my hands, and silently urged me to read it.

I unfolded the stationary and read –

_Dear Kyouya, _

_It has been four long years since I warned everyone. I thought they left, but they never did. Kyouya – they're here, and are coming for you and the rest of the chosen. Please don't be alarmed about this; I know I'm not exactly…alive. _

_I want you, son, to gather the rest of the chosen – from the Kiyumizu, Suou and Fujioka clans. I want – no I need – you to train them, to let them learn the truth._

_Please do this for me. I love you, son, I always will._

_Your Father, Yoshio._

I stared at him, my mouth agape. I couldn't help but nod.

_Yes, I received a letter similar to the one you have earlier this morning._

_Good. That would make my task…less daunting. _Did he…talk inside my head? I'm pretty sure we weren't speaking out loud. Was this some sort of telepathy?

_You could say that. All of the chosen can talk to one another mentally. _

I shook my head. What in the world was happening? This wasn't possible! This shouldn't be happening! All magic ceased to exist four years ago…It couldn't just resurrect like this! Everything was so bizarre, so insane…

I ran away from the older man, and entered the classroom. I felt a myriad of eyes on me, analyzing me. Then with one glare from sensei, they stopped and their eyes went back to scanning their textbooks. He then resumed talking about Emily Dickinson and her awesome poems as I slid back into my seat.


	5. For Miss Kyoko

**Chapter Four** – _For Miss Kyoko_

The Present

Ren read the letter over and over again. How dare Yoshio write that to his child! The nerve of that man! Kyoko should not be involved. This was – is, and never will be – her fight. He could not permit her to kill and murder like what he did four years ago…

_Ms. Kyoko Kiyumizu –_

_I know your father tried – is trying – to hide the truth from you, to "protect" you from the war that is not yours. But I know better. This may not be your war, as it was not ours as well, but you must fight in it. Your blood has already been corrupted, and therefore you have no choice. _

_There are three others who are blessed with the gift, as well. Please find them, though I think they'll find you first. For unlike you, they were revealed to the truth by their parents. _

_I know you'll make the correct choice, Kyoko-san. Good luck._

_Your friend, _

_Yoshio._

Ren was disgusted. How could that man do that to HIS daughter? He growled; an animalistic sound that echoed throughout the hallways of their spacious home, and tore the paper to shreds. _They_ were never coming back! _They_ were dead! Why couldn't the others just accept that!?


	6. Black and White

**Chapter Five** – _Black and White_

Seventeen Years Ago

"It was said…a star… meteors…fall…earth…" The woman whispered, her glass-like hair framing her beautiful, pale face.

"You…child…husband…peace…war…death…" She continued; her words still an enigma.

"No…children…good…evil…black…white….good…evil…"

"Angel..demon...fairy....vampire....four children....one destiny...."

"...One fate."

"E-Excuse me?" The other woman asked; her face filled with paranoia. "What exactly do you mean, Madam?"

"Black and white, Miss, everything is in black and white." The pale lady replied; her eyes looking deeply into the other woman's blue pupils. "One shall bring the Apocalypse while one shall lead us back to Paradise. But the question is: who is who?"


	7. Penumbra

**Chapter Six** – _Penumbra_

The Present

"Mom, I'm home!" I hollered, looking around the living room; there was no sign of her. A chill went down my spine. Perhaps I was just being a little _too_ paranoid, but my mother _always _stayed in the living room from three to three-thirty p.m. to watch her favorite cooking show – '40-minute Meals with Sakura Morimoto' – on the 'L' channel…

Where could she be?

"Kyoko…" She said from behind me; her voice raspy and almost like a screech.

"M-Mom!" I shouted, turning to face her. "W-Where were you?"

She smiled faintly; the grin highlighted her frail yet beautiful features. "I was just…resting."

Her hair was tied in a bun, today, and she was wearing a plain pair of blue jeans and a cashmere sweater. She was also draped in her favorite baby pink shawl. She looked, well, like a _mother_. The sad truth was that mom looked years _younger_ than she truly was. Heck, even _I _was envious of my mother's youthful prettiness.

"Dear," she told me, sapphire orbs looking into my duller blue ones. "Why aren't you at the meeting?"

"Meeting? What meeting?" I asked.

She coughed, "The one today…Didn't Ren tell you about the covenant meeting?"

My_ mother_ was part of that covenant thing!?

"Um…no."

"Figures." She nodded, to no one in particular, "I guess I'd have to take you there..."

* * *

She limped to the car – her own Volvo 1800S given to her as a birthday gift from Dad – as I followed her reluctantly. The car was Silver, had two doors, and was really _breathtaking_. Though mom rarely used it, she always made sure that the car was well-taken care of. I remembered a time when she rented her car to a young couple for a decent price, and that couple brought it back home with so much scratches and mud. Mom was so _furious_! I didn't even think _Dad_ could've been _that_ angry.

I chuckled to myself, and mom eyed me affectionately. She drove carefully, slowing down every once in a while to cough or sneeze, or just check her cellphone. Also, we passed by McDonald's to get take-out food because she said that the meeting 'could last a while.'

Not that I minded. It was nice talking to mom like this. It almost made me forget about the Telepathy thing with Ootori-senpai, the letter from his _dead_ father, the 'covenant,' and dad's weirder-than-usual behavior. _ALMOST_.

* * *

We stopped at a sleek, chrome-colored building. It looked like some sort of office for really rich people. Well, maybe the covenant people _were_ rich, because _Mr. Ootori_ was part of it. I stepped out of the car, staring at the building intensely, as both mom and I began walking towards it. It had revolving doors that were –_ahem_—quite fun to play with, and an even more lavish lobby.

The lobby had only black-and-white furniture, chic glass tables, comfy-looking seats, and people (who looked like they had too much money) paced to and fro.

Mom was talking to a young-ish secretary who pointed at me and smiled. She then led us to a room that was designed like a more modern version of a Greek stadium. From the outside, I could hear the familiar voice of our school's chairman talking about how Mr. Ootori could have been right about _them_. Whoever _they_ were…

We walked inside – thank Kami no one noticed us – and mom told me to sit beside nee-san. When did she get here? Hell, how did she get here?

* * *

"…covenant…they…back…believe…faith…blind…" I was barely listening to Mr. Suou when someone tapped me on my shoulder.

"Kiyumizu." I'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Listen." Ootori-senpai barked, almost like an order. He then moved to the seat beside mine, and asked his friend – Mr. Suou's son, Tamaki – to sit beside him. Following them skeptically was a brown-haired male who looked quite feminine – the scholarship student, Haruhi Fujioka.

_Kiyumizu, you moron. You should listen to the chairman. You don't know how important his words are._ His voice was inside my head again.

_Aw, mom. Don't be so hard on Mizu-chan._ I recognized a new voice – it was Suou-senpai's.

I didn't like this telepathy thing very much.

_Will you PLEASE get out of my head!?_ I focused my thoughts on them, perhaps they would hear me.

Then there was silence. Cool, sweet silence. It was like an oasis in the desert. I never felt calmer in my life.

But there was something odd about the silence. It was almost _eerie. _No, perhaps frightening would be a better word. I felt as if I was in a pathway between something otherworldly and human. A pathway between life and death.

The silence was deafening, and I couldn't hear their voices anymore. I felt worried to the point of helplessness. Where were they? I couldn't see them. I couldn't see anything!

Then someone screamed, "_They're_ here!" and everything faded to obscurity.


	8. Abyss

**Chapter Seven** – _Abyss_

The Present

The scream surprised everyone. A blonde-haired girl with pigtails began sobbing, her small hands covering her scared face. Then mist started rolling over, swirling and dancing like a mischievous bard. It wrapped around the members like a thin blanket, but instead of giving warmth and comfort, it gave a sense of false security. It was as if _more_ terrible things were about to happen.

It was also cold. The mist brought air, chilly and freezing. The air burned anything it touched. It brought undying flames to those who came into contact with its white heat.

Ren staggered backwards as the mist began to thicken, forming a grotesque, ghost-like being. Its skin was whiter-than-pale and had numerous scars and stitches. It hands were knives, sharp and deadly. The monster roared, and the whole building shook. It moved forward, cornering him as it opened its crimson eyes.

Ren shouted – a battle cry, one could call it – and ran forward to engage in a deadly dance with the being.

The others frozen from shock couldn't do anything but stare.


	9. Eclipse

**Chapter Eight** – _Eclipse_

The Present

"_**DAD!"**__ Someone shouted. Was it me? I was pretty sure I heard my own voice. I glanced around, wanting to see some sort of sign that everything would be alright. But there was nothing. There was only darkness. Deep, everlasting darkness. I felt like crying. Where was I? What was this place? Who were they?_

_I swam faster in the darkness, groping and hunting and searching for any indication of life. I felt my lungs burst as I pushed myself to go faster. I couldn't breathe. Something in the darkness was keeping me from going back to the surface. I needed to get ou—_

_Then I heard the voices. _

"_**Kyoko! Kyoko! KYOKO!"**_

_They were calling me. They needed me to go back. Perhaps, if I thought hard enough…_

"_I'm here! Where are you—"_

* * *

My eyes fluttered open. I was in a dark place. Not the _darkness_, per se, but somewhere pretty close. "Where's…Dad..?" I managed to choke out.

"Kyoko…" I turned around to see Ootori-senpai. He spoke with a voice older than his years. He was bruised and bloody from the small cuts on his arms. His face, though unscathed, looked grim and gloomy. His eyes had a flicker of emotion in them – worry, perhaps?

"Kyoko..." He continued, "We may have caught ourselves in a predicament."

"W-What exactly do you mean…?"

"We are lost." He replied matter-of-factly, as he ran a pale hand through his dark hair.

"…I don't understand." Lost? How could we be _lost_?

"Our souls…are currently not available right now." He laughed darkly.

I fought the urge to hug him and just cry…but of course, doing that would've been very embarrassing. I couldn't risk being humiliated for the rest of my teenage life—

"What about Suou-senpai and Fujioka-san?" I felt my eyes getting watery, but I ignored the feeling. I couldn't _cry_. I couldn't! I couldn't!

"Fortunately, they managed to escape. They dashed to the portal before it vanished…" He told me, his grey eyes still flickering with little emotion. "But the portal closed before you or I could enter…"

"W-Why?" I couldn't help it; the tears just fell from my face by themselves.

"I was rescuing you from _them_, but we reached the portal too late." He muttered softly, and then the emotion in his eyes snuffed out, like a candle on a windy day.

…He _rescued_ me? He _rescued me_? I felt like such an _idiot_! It was my fault we were stuck here! Oh, Kami, Kami, Kami, KAMI!

_You could've just left me there, senpai. The three of you would've been good enough._ I sent my thoughts to him.

…_._

He didn't reply. Physically _or_ mentally.

…_.Senpai? _I tried again.

His thoughts were a jumbled up mess, and I only heard '_father, will, leave, protect_.'


	10. Surface

**Chapter Nine** – _Surface_

The Present

A pale hand dug into the darkness.

**"Tamaki, Haruhi, Kyouya, Kyoko?" **His words dripped with worry, echoing through the everlasting void.

_Silence_. The man was only answered with silence.

Then a hand grasped his; a cold, shaking hand wet with – _could it be possible?_ – blood.

"Kiyumizu-san." The owner of said arm managed to say.

"…Suou-kun?" Ren pulled out the blonde from the darkness, wanting to know what the hell just happened.

"_Them_…" Tamaki said as he reached the surface, his body tense and rigid, as if he swam in an ice-cold lake during the Winter. "_T-They_ took Mizu-chan a-and Kyouya…"

Ren's eyes nearly popped out. "Sayuri!" He ordered, "Get the man a towel!"

The clear-eyed girl nodded as she swiftly handed Tamaki a towel, "Suou-san, where is Haruhi-san, then?"

"I-I'm here…" Said a small voice from behind them. She (of course, everyone in the covenant knew Haruhi's true gender – with the exception of Kyoko; the poor girl didn't know _anything_ about Haruhi and the Hosts except for the really general stuff: a.k.a. the gossip her classmates told her) was shivering, her skin was ashen and her eyes – normally a warm chocolate brown color – were cloudy and muddy, like a puddle in the rain.

"Please…Tell us what happened," Ren urged; his voice pleading and slightly helpless.

Tamaki and Haruhi glanced at one another, and then they nodded simultaneously.

"After the swallowing, _they_ began to attack us." Tamaki began, as he started to clear his mind so that the rest of the members could see—

_Haruhi and Tamaki walking in the darkness…_

_One of __**them **__screaming as it was attacking the students…_

_Dodging, bleeding, crying…_

_Then there was a clearing…_

"_Where are Kiyumizu-san and Kyouya-senpai?"_

"_I don't know. Let's look for them."_

_Another attack. _

_**It**__ shot Tamaki's right hand._

"_GAH! HARUHI! It hurts!"_

"_Senpai…Calm down…"_

_Light._

_Sweet, melodious light._

_He reached for it and_ –

"Okay. That would be enough, Tamaki." Yuzuru Suou spoke, his eyes filled with concern for his son. "Would you know where the other two chosen are?"

"No, sir." Haruhi answered for him. Tamaki nodded as Midori Kiyumizu – Ren's physically-weak-but-mentally-strong wife – tended to his wounds.

"Kyoko and Ootori-san are probably in the land of in-between…" Sayuri mumbled, staring into space. She looked almost ghost-like with her clear eyes and pale-skin. "Perhaps _he_ summoned them…"

"Sayuri-san?" Haruhi questioned. "Could you repeat what you said?"

"Oh!" Sayuri herself broke the trance she was in, "It was nothing, Haruhi-san."

The rest of the members eyes the snow-skinned girl, eyes filled with curiosity and wonder, but most of them just ignored the feeling they were all getting. The feeling that the girl may know more – perhaps_ she_ was the chosen instead of her sister…but that would mean that the oracle was wrong and that the prophecy was in reverse.

"So," Sayuri suggested, clear eyes empty – as usual – "Would anyway like some tea?"


	11. Axis

**Chapter Ten** – _Axis_

The Present

It had begun raining a few minutes ago – assuming there's actually _time_ in this place. Ootori-senpai was a few steps ahead of me, limping. I had offered to dress the dreadful wound on his left leg, but he just growled at me ferociously. _Sheesh_. Men and their pride. Or, it could just be that he was annoyed with me for having such a weak mind that I could succumb to _them_ – whoever _they_ are – so easily.

Well, whatever the case was, we were both _stuck_ here. If you asked me, I'd say it was _his_ fault we were _both_ stuck here. If he just left with Suou-senpai and Fujioka-san, then only_ I_ would be stuck here. If I were stuck here _alone_, there'd be three chosen up above! And I thought he was supposed to be _smart_!

_Stop the whole self-pity thing, Kiyumizu. It's annoying. _He snapped inside my head.

_I do not pity myself! You just failed to see the big picture in this scenario. _I mentally slapped him with a fish.

"Kiyumizu." He spoke out loud; his voice harsh and icy. "Did you forget that the whole covenant is 'up above,' as you call it? I think they are more than capable to handle _them_."

He had good comebacks. I flinched.

"Besides," He continued with no mercy (Kami, men and their _pride_!), "I'm pretty sure your _father's_ doing the best he can to get us out of here."

He smirked.

He _won_.

I think I missed him being emo and quiet.

* * *

The rain dampened my clothes. It fell down like bombs during World War II. I don't know how long we've been walking, or how far we've walked. And frankly, I didn't care. I was cold, my feet ached, my skin was numb from the wind that mocked me and I felt a dull ache somewhere on my right arm.

"Will you please stop complaining, Kyoko!?" He said; but his tone was gentler – lighter than his usual 'I-am-worse-than-death' tone. His features softened a great deal, too. I wondered why. Perhaps it was because his man pride was on vacation, or something.

But – as usual – I was wrong. Ootori-senpai already stopped walking. He looked ahead, a smile on his face. I followed him and looked ahead, as well.

I didn't believe what I saw.

Only a few feet away stood a man. His hair was messy and unkempt, and he looked like he didn't shave for quite some time; his glasses, too, were cracked and broken. But he was familiar. _Very_ familiar.

"Dad." Senpai mumbled, moving a step forward. I think the world had already stopped turning.


End file.
